On Messages

Authors

  • Bernard CE Scott International Center for Sociocybernetics Studies

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26754/ojs_jos/jos.201811476

Keywords:

message, code, conversation, communication, sociocybernetics

Abstract

In this paper, I discuss the concept of a ‘message’ as applied to the different forms of communication: between man and machine, between machine and machine and between man and man. The term ‘message’ can refer to a relatively simple cause and effect interaction. An example is the transmission of a mechanical signal that, when decoded by a receiving system, triggers a standard response. It can also refer to the much more subtle and complex case where recipients construct meanings on the basis of the messages they receive. I contend that it is only in this latter case that we can properly refer to the interaction as a ‘conversation’. In the paper I present cybernetic models of these two usages. I relate the abstract discussion to current developments concerned with man-machine interaction and the development of a ‘global brain’.

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Author Biography

Bernard CE Scott, International Center for Sociocybernetics Studies

Gordon Pask Professor of Sociocybernetics, International Center for Sociocybernetics Studies

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Published

2018-07-13

How to Cite

Scott, B. C. (2018). On Messages. Journal of Sociocybernetics, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.26754/ojs_jos/jos.201811476